


Shoot

by literatiruinedme



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: (not described), Betty saves the day, Captivity, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Gun Violence, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, Minor Character Death, Rescue, Rescue Missions, Sharing a Bed, Sharing a Shower, reconnection
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-11
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-12 09:06:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29757291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/literatiruinedme/pseuds/literatiruinedme
Summary: "He might already be-”Betty cocked her gun, staring down the barrel before squaring her shoulders. “Shut the fuck up, Archie.”Or Jughead's been kidnapped and, after finding out where he's being held, Betty decides that she is not going home without him.
Relationships: Betty Cooper/Jughead Jones
Comments: 7
Kudos: 58





	Shoot

**Author's Note:**

> and the [mood board](https://imgur.com/rjH31wy)
> 
> in the possible chance that Glen is A Bad Dude™, this is something I want to watch, but they will never write ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

He had done it.

After two weeks of careful plotting, he had finally managed to pull himself free of an honest to god hole in the ground- thanks to the world’s stupidest serial killer and his quasi-regimented routine.

His plan had been simple: dig. While the angle of the walls had been challenging to work with, Jughead had managed to carve out a series of steps to grab onto using the lens of his broken glasses. After throwing down the bare minimum of a meal every two days, Glen left him alone; Jughead’s plan had been to work on freeing himself as soon as Glen left after he had finally finished carving out an escape route. The dirt was just dry and cold enough to stay together for him to dig at night and at night only; after digging during the day had set him back four days work, he had screamed for so long that his voice hadn’t come back for an entire day afterwards.

But he had done it. 

He had pulled himself out of his own personal hell, running entirely on adrenaline as he stumbled around the abandoned barn he had been living in.

What he hadn’t planned for, was the fact that Glen spent his nights on the property. Jughead hadn’t seen it until after walking into a small room that held a cot and a small set up of a computer monitor, but there had been a small security camera pointed at him the entire time. 

His blood ran cold when he realized the severity of the game of cat and mouse he had been playing. Ignoring his panicked breathing, Jughead forced himself to leave the small room in search of a proper exit. He tried to ignore the lone chair, several yards from where he had been held, not wanting to think of what Glen may have heard as Jughead spent the last fourteen days bargaining with anyone who was listening -despite his lack of faith that any one person or deity would care so much to make him miserable- as he worked on freeing himself. 

A gasp escaped him when he wandered past a hallway- empty, save for Glen, standing between him and the piercing blackness of rural Vermont after sundown.

“Did you have fun, rabbit?”

Jughead blinked, straightening despite the fear gripping his throat.  _ Rabbit? _

“I’m only asking because you put on a lovely performance.” Slowly, he took a few steps forward. “Did you know that you talk in your sleep?”

Jughead couldn’t help but feel violated- first, knowing Glen had never left him alone; then, the fact that he was being videotaped; the thought of having been watched so intently while he was most vulnerable made him want to throw up.

“Did you know that you call out to her? It's so insightful to listen when people are so open that they can’t hide anything from anyone.” He chuckled. “It’s sweet, almost, Rabbit. She called out for you, too.”

Jughead took two shaky steps back when he noticed the large hunting knife in Glen’s hands.

_ He was pretty. _

“But she called out for you all the time.” He smiled devilishly, clearly trying and failing to mask his hurt. “While she was sleeping-“ He swung the knife with enough room between them that Jughead had no chance of being injured, but he was almost certain that wasn’t the point in Glen’s eyes. Something snapped inside of him as his anger boomed out of him. “When we laid together!”

Without a second thought, Jughead bolted in the opposite direction, hoping to get some distance between him and Glen before making a break for the door. After he had gained enough ground on Glen, Jughead broke for the opposite direction, his eyes widening when red and white lights cut through the pitch-black vantage point he had on his freedom, but his ambitions were cut short by a hand on his shoulder. 

Glen threw his body weight into Jughead, sending them both tumbling to the floor.

A scream burst from his lips when his shoulder made contact with the ground first. He took a few deep breaths as the dust around them settled, crying out once more when Glen purposely threw his weight down on Jughead a second time. 

“I’m going to kill you and then I’ll kill that idiot redhead and then, Rabbit, I’ll kill our sweet Elizabeth.” 

Jughead tensed when Glen's forearm pressed to the back of his neck, making it a little bit harder to breathe. 

“I'll draw out her death,” he hissed in promise. A moment later, he flipped Jughead onto his back, holding the knife at his throat while continuing. “I’ll make it slow and painful, god, how she cries when you take all of her hope away-“

A shaky laugh fell from Jughead’s lips when red light flooded the room they were in; a siren sounded a second later. “Betty Cooper fucking invented blind hope, you  _ cad _ .”

Glen repeated his earlier show of force, though Jughead had started to go numb from the continued abuse of his shoulder, in addition to the adrenaline racing through his veins. 

With only his good arm, Jughead grabbed Glen’s wrist, slamming it into the ground so he could scramble for the knife lying beside them, slashing wildly as Glen scrambled away from him. 

After managing to put space between them, Glen reached for the gun at his side, pointing it at Jughead, immediately pacifying him. 

Jughead’s hand shook as he willed himself to let go of the knife, holding his hand up in surrender as the metal landed with an unimpressive  _ thud _ . He watched Glen rise to his feet, ambling over before pulling Jughead to his feet.

Without another word, he held the gun to Jughead’s temple, using him as a human shield while they started towards the source of the sirens. 

“Tell me that's not your only exit,” Jughead groaned, rolling his eyes. “That’s just bad planning-“ 

“Shut up!” Glen shouted, flicking the safety off as he held the gun up to Jughead’s skull. 

“You’re going to fucking fry,” Jughead growled venomously. A groan escaped him when Glen slapped the handle of the gun against Jughead’s cheek, leaving behind splitting pain. 

“Shut your goddamn mouth.” He shoved Jughead forward, into a small hallway lined by empty animal enclosures. Glen froze when Betty ran up, gun at the ready as Sweet Pea and Archie followed behind her.

“Betty,” Jughead sobbed, tears he hadn’t known he had still been able to cry flooding his vision.

“I see you finally managed to put the clues together,” Glen tutted. “I’m disappointed, truthfully. I honestly imagined you both would have been faster. What with how incredible teen sleuths you were back in high school.”

“Let him go,” Betty snapped back, ignoring Glen’s empty taunts. 

Jughead struggled against Glen until he leaned forward.

“Give me trouble and I’ll shoot her,” Glen whispered in his ear. 

Jughead’s blood ran cold at his threat. He would bet his life that Betty was a better shot, but he would never bet hers.

“Glen, this isn’t his fight!”

“It’s not  _ our _ fight, Betty, it’s just something that we haven’t finished, but we’ll be sure to correct that mistake.” Glen dug the barrel of the gun into Jughead's hair, drawing a soft groan from him. “But loverboy here was getting too close, so he needed to be dealt with.”

“Just shoot him!” Jughead finally screamed, tears flowing down his cheeks as he reluctantly let Glen push him forward.

“Move your fucking feet,” Glen growled, digging the barrel of the gun into Jughead's temple, reminding him of his lack of power.

He let out a sob as he followed instructions. Jughead was tired and hungry and so thirsty it was uncomfortable, but as he shook, his two-week stint in captivity quickly came to a climax as Betty, Archie, and Sweet Pea stood opposite him and his captor, weapons at the ready. While the set of brass knuckles on Sweet Pea’s dominant hand and the bat Archie held at the ready didn't feel as helpful as they likely had intended, the handgun Betty wielded felt like some semblance of hope. “Betty do it!” he snapped.

Glen’s arm around his chest tightened, pressing against Jughead's dislocated shoulder, drawing a scream from his lips. “Shut your fucking  _ mouth _ .” 

Jughead didn't speak again, fearing the nausea bubbling in his stomach at the feeling of pressure against his wound would lead to him retching- or worse.

“Let him go.”

“And give up my leverage, Betty?” Glen tutted. “Now, why would I do that?”

Her eyes narrowed as she held the gun with more dedication than before. “It'll make things easier for you.”

Glen laughed. “What're you going to do? Shoot at me? Kill your boyfriend?”

After meeting her gaze, Jughead grit his teeth.

She looked so heartbroken and tired- and his disappearance had done that to her.

_ Please _ , he mouthed.

Glen jerked Jughead's shoulder once more as he readjusted his grip.

Jughead took a shaky breath before looking downward as he tried to steady his breathing; he blinked when he noticed the blood oozing from a cut inflicted along Glen's forearm when they had scuffled earlier. 

Based on Glen's continuous readjustments as he stood on the dusty floor of the section of the barn they had all congregated in, Jughead had a sudden moment of realization that Glen wasn't totally on balance as he favoured his injured arm.

_ He was on shaky ground. _

Betty was mid-quip when Jughead rejoined the world while it happened around him. 

As Glen frantically shouted something back at her, suddenly realizing his fragile grip on the situation at hand, Jughead met her gaze. He tipped his head forward slightly before lifting one foot off of the ground, resting the toe of his shoe in the dirt behind Glen. 

A moment later, realization flashed across Betty's features. Before she could react, Jughead kicked his foot against Glen's shin with all the force he could muster before throwing his bodyweight forward.

The pair lurched forward.

Jughead closed his eyes, turning to look away from the ground as they fell. He felt the wind rush from his lungs after he slammed into the soil, Glen's weight pressing into him with just as much force. Silently, he bit his tongue to keep from screaming at the forceful addition of weight on his shoulder.

“You slimy fucking snake!” Glen screamed, shifting onto an elbow as he positioned his gun at the back of Jughead's skull.

A single shot rang out.

Jughead’s ears rung from the loud blast of gunpowder. He gasped when he felt Glen crumble over him, hot liquid dripping against the back of his neck.

Sand and fine silt kicked up around him as Betty, Sweet Pea, and Archie finally raced over. 

“ _ Juggie _ .”

“Holy shit,” Archie breathed.

Suddenly, the body over him was dragged away.

“Juggie, are you-” Betty leaned against his injured shoulder, drawing a blood-curdling scream from him. 

Truthfully, Jughead had been through far worse physically, but the lack of sleep, food, and water, had taken their toll on him. His eyes fluttered open after a moment, staring at the base of a wooden wall, mouth open. The soft brown silt covering the ground felt nice against his sweaty cheek. He felt himself relax when Betty rested her hand on the back of his neck. “Betty,” he whispered, squeezing his eyes shut for just a moment before opening them again. He cleared his throat before speaking again. “Was the two-week wait payback for the time my train from Stonewall was late and you waited at Pop's for an hour?”

Betty laughed, leaning down to rest her forehead against his temple; her giggles soon gave way to tears before she stopped just as suddenly. She sniffled, resting her hand on his good shoulder, her arm now streaking across his line of vision. “You scared me,” she breathed, tearfully. 

Weakly, but with a relaxed smile on his lips, he reached out to grab her wrist, pulling it to his lips. “I knew you would find me if I went missing.”

She kissed his temple. “I promised that I would.” After a moment of quiet, her free hand rested between his shoulder blades. “Can I help you up?”

He nodded weakly, accepting her and Sweet Pea’s guidance onto his back while Archie disappeared towards Betty’s car. 

Sweet Pea pursed his lips when he noticed Jughead's shoulder. “Hey, buddy?”

“What?” Jughead breathed, glancing up at Sweet Pea’s face.

He hummed in thought. “I wanted to say-” Without warning, he grabbed Jughead's upper arm and his shoulder, wrenching his arm back into its socket.

Jughead let out a scream as pain shot through him, leaving behind a dull throbbing that settled deep within his bones. 

“I'm getting you one of those GPS tags that Hot Dog has.” He pat Jughead's stomach. “Miss homecoming queen can buy you the collar for ‘em.”

Jughead chuckled weakly, just making out red and blue lights flashing into existence along his face. His eyes slipped closed when a siren sounded as Riverdale’s only remaining police car finally pulled up. “I really didn't think you guys would be offended, because I had no idea you knew how to read anything longer than a menu,” he snarked, smiling when Sweet Pea slapped his forehead. His eyes opened when Betty spoke again. 

“Can we get him sitting, please?”

Sweet Pea sighed, looking at Betty again before nodding. “If he didn't make me want to slap him, I'd be more worried.”

She hummed, her face giving away her annoyance as she wedged her fingers under his good shoulder. “Just lift.”

Without another word, Sweet Pea nodded, gingerly gripping Jughead's forearm and his shoulder before guiding him up. 

Betty passed off the tie of her peacoat, allowing Sweet Pea to make a makeshift sling as she held Jughead's face in her hands. “Focus on me.”

A tired laugh escaped him. “What're you-” He glanced over her shoulder, suddenly going quiet when he noticed the lifeless bottom half of the body behind her. He felt his blood rush to his toes until Betty gently slapped his cheek, drawing his attention back to her.

“You're horrible with directions.”

Jughead hummed, reaching out to rest his free hand on her thigh. “And you're impulsive.”

She hummed, a small smile on her lips as she shifted to sit on the other side of him, pulling him into a hug looking away from Glen’s body. 

Jughead rested his head on her shoulder, before pressing his face into the crook of her neck. Without warning, a sob raced through him, more tears close behind him as Betty held him firmly to her. 

“I have you.”

Jughead swallowed, quieting as she slowly rocked them back and forth. “He was going to kill me,” he said softly, somehow in disbelief despite the numerous times he had nearly died before. 

She shushed him, running her fingers through his hair.

“I-”

“He can't hurt you anymore.”

He nodded, clinging to her as Sheriff Keller ran in, gun at the ready. Suddenly he felt as if he were underwater as he listened to Betty speak to Tom, her words far off and floaty as Jughead stared at a spiderweb fluttering in the slight breeze from outside. A blanket being wrapped around him jerked him out of his haze. 

Betty pulled the blanket more tightly around him as her hand rubbed up and down his back. “It’s okay,” she reassured. “You were shaking.” 

He nodded again. 

“Do you think you can turn to face me? There’s an EMT who wants to look at you.” 

After a moment, Jughead sighed as he rested his forehead on her shoulder. “Okay,” he grumbled. His shoulders relaxed when Betty carefully squeezed his waist. Jughead sat patiently as an EMT spoke to him, asking questions and shining a light in his eyes as Betty sat behind him, her feet loosely bracketing his hips as she ran a towel over the back of his neck. 

When she moved to stand, he grabbed her wrist before looking up at her, begging her to stay without speaking. Her fingers threaded through his as he felt himself zoning off. 

Betty brought a water bottle to his lips sometime later, when it was just the two of them, sitting against the edge of the hall leading to the outside world as crime scene technicians and various law enforcement milled around them, surveying the scene. A soft smile graced her lips as she helped him take a few slow sips. 

When he tried to drink more, she rested her hand on his forearm. “What?”

She brushed his hair out of his eyes. “Slow sips.”

“But I-“

“I remember,” she breathed. “I also remember ignoring the EMT, chugging a bottle of water, and throwing it all up in a bush while Glen-“ Her small encouraging smile slipped away as a far off look found its way to her face; her eyes drifted to where his body lay as a photographer catalogued the scene.

Jughead reached up to cup her face, pressing his cheek to hers as he forced her to look outside at the rising sun.

She relaxed into his side as the inky black sky faded to light blue and then a soft pink before the sun brought golden light with it.

Jughead’s lips quirked up as his eyes slipped closed, the sun warm on his face. He swallowed before squeezing her hand. “Thanks for saving my life.”

She shrugged a shoulder before squeezing his hand in return. “Thanks for saving mine.”

Jughead ignored the tear that raced down his cheek before kissing her temple. He sniffed, pulling her closer as they stared out into the early morning that was unfolding around them.

**Author's Note:**

> Come say hi to me on [tumblr](http://literatiruinedme.tumblr.com/)!


End file.
